Forum of Private Business welcomes long awaited Small Business Commissioner appointment

The Forum of Private Business has welcomed the appointment of Paul Uppal as the new Small Business Commissioner, setting out three key priorities they would like addressed.

They are looking to him to make the issue of Late Payment his number one priority, with an urgent look at the damage that the inequitable application of business rates causes as his second and a material review of the pile of regulatory issues unfairly hitting small businesses and unfairly impacting them disproportionately.

Ian Cass, Chief Executive of the Forum of Private Business said, "We have been waiting for this appointment for much longer than we should have been. But now that Paul Uppal has been confirmed as the new Small Business Commissioner, we look forward to supporting him. With a track record in Small Business he will be familiar with the key issues of late payment, business rates and the burden of regulation on small businesses. These are the three areas that we would encourage him to address initially."

The Forum has continually campaigned for an independently appointed role to represent the interests of small business. The Forum Hall of Shame index was one of the pieces of evidence leading to the recommendations of the Enterprise Bill and the creation of the Small Business Commissioner.


About Forum of Private Business

The Forum of Private Business is a not-for-profit comprehensive business support organisation founded in 1977. Our membership is spread throughout the UK and primarily made up of companies that employ between 1-50 employees, helping them to manage employees, saving time, giving advice, support and protection where a business needs it. We are a recognised leading authority on business issues and represent the interests of business owners on many consultative bodies. We have built a solid reputation, being influential in many areas of policy-making, in changing laws that affect small businesses, and we continue to campaign for the fair treatment of businesses within the UK. Everything we do is about making sure our members’ businesses operate profitably. This means that every penny we make goes back in to supporting our members, providing the support and resources that will enable businesses to flourish and grow.


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